by Rey, Solomon
Rhonda pushed her way through the horde of people with Mark attached to her hip. Lisa and Derek could hear Mark approaching.
“It was The Angel! The Angel,” he shouted, pointing to the sky.
Rhonda held Lisa tightly, not wanting to let go. She nearly lost another loved one, if not for ‘The Angel’. She really did exist and she witnessed the incredible spectacle for herself.
“Mom! I’m fine. You can let go!” Lisa urged. Rhonda released her daughter, swiping a tear. “Mom…it was ‘The Angel.’ She saved me!”
“It was utterly amazing! I thank God she was here.”
“Derek…did you see her? I mean…of course you saw her…did you see what she did?” Lisa said excitedly.
“It was awesome!” He said, looking toward the throng of people gathering around the truck to examine it. “I’ll be right back, I want to check it out,” he said, pointing.
He gaped at the single handprint embedded deeply into the metal. Olivia’s handprint and fingerprints, which could eventually lead to her. He needed to wipe it clean to help protect Olivia’s identity. He used the bottom of his shirt to eliminate the evidence, now the police would find zilch.
He headed back to Lisa and her family, “Well, I’ve got to get going. I should have been home ten minutes ago,” he said, “I’m glad you’re safe. Wait till Olivia hears about this!”
“Thank you,” Lisa said, hugging him.
“What is that for?” He asked.
“I’m just thankful to be alive,” Lisa said trying to fight the wave of emotions that were washing over her.
He said good byes, waving as he strolled down the street.
CHAPTER XXV
He jogged to meet Olivia, soon as he was sure he was out of sight of any onlookers. She was there waiting impatiently traipsing back and forth, greeting him excitedly.
“Did you see me? Wasn’t that incredible! Wow!” She shouted, “I pushed that truck out of the way, right before it was about to hit her.” She continued to tread expending her pent up energy.
“That was friggin’awesome!” He said, “Everything happened so fast, I don’t think anyone had time to film you.”
“I don’t think Lisa saw my face, do you?” She asked.
“Naw, she was turned away from you when you picked her up, plus, I think she was kind of out of it.”
“You’re probably right!”
“I think you were going a hell of a lot faster than 90 miles an hour.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think that when you get…I don’t know…excited…or jazzed. I don’t know the word.”
“My adrenaline gets going?”
“Yes, that’s it! When it gets going—so do you!” He said, “I wish I could have clocked your top speed.”
“Well, we’d better get out of here,” she said, “Hop on!”
* * *
“I forgot this little place was here, “Donna said, as she took in the atmosphere.
They sat in a cozy Italian Restaurant off of Commercial street. The ambience was reminiscent of Italy. Pictures of beautiful scenic locales: Rome, Naples and Florence adorned the walls. Faint romantic music played in the background, while a red candle flickered as it sat atop the checkered table cloth.
“How did you find this place?” She asked, as she stared intently at Richard.
“I have my ways,” he said furtively, reaching for her hand.
“Well, I love it! It’s charming and very romantic.”
“I hoped you would feel that way, but before we judge, we might want to taste the food.”
“True,” she agreed.
They glanced at their menus, but each already had their own personal favorites.
“Do you know what you are getting?” She asked.
“Yeah…the Ravioli with a side salad.”
“Mmmm. That sounds really good,” she said.
“What are you getting?”
“I love Veal Parmesan, so every time I go to an Italian Restaurant, that’s what I get.”
“I guess we’re all creatures of habit.”
“I’ve been on dates before, but that’s the first time I’ve been called a creature,” she said jokingly.
“Well if it helps to ease the pain, you’re the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen.” Score one for Richard.
“It definitely helps,” She smiled flirtively.
“Shall we order?” He asked. Donna nodded.
Richard waved the waiter over and they placed their order.
“I wonder how the kids are doing,” she asked.
“There will be absolutely no conversations concerning the kids. Not tonight,” he said firmly, “This night should be about us, and only us.”
She smiled. He just scored mega points, she thought.
“Can I ask you something that I’ve been dying to know?” She asked.
“Sure.”
“I know I asked you before, but I think there’s more to it than what you said. Why did you wait so long to ask me out?”
“You will think it’s idiotic and juvenile,” he said reluctantly.
“No, I won’t…please…,” she pleaded.
“Well, I’ve thought about you a lot over the years and I always came to the same conclusion.”
“Which is?”
“That it’s asinine to even consider that someone as beautiful and attractive as you could ever be interested in me,” he said humbly, “I adore everything about you: the way the edges of your mouth curls when you’re really concentrating on something: how your eyes light up when your favorite song plays on the radio; when your eyes well with tears whenever you watch a sad movie; or how you twirl your hair with your fingers, whenever you like what you’re hearing—like you’re doing right now,” He said, as she quickly dropped her hand, “And every moment I’m with you, I know God has answered my prayers.”
“You weren’t kidding when you said you were a straight-forward kind of guy.” She was blown away by his professment. It was the sweetest and most heartfelt declaration she could ever have imagined.
“So, I have almost the same question for you…if you were interested, why didn’t you just come forward and say something?”
“You have no idea how many times I started to, but chickened out. I was so happy with our friendship, I was afraid of making things awkward. Finding a good friend has always been very difficult for me. Most spook the moment you need them, I didn’t want to take the risk.”
“I know what you mean,” he agreed.
Donna continued, “I have thought about you a lot, I even have some pretty hot fantasies about us,” she said. Smiling, as she raised an eyebrow.
“Really?! Why Miss Mitchell, are you trying to seduce me?” He said paraphrasing a line from ‘The Graduate.
She giggled, “Is it working?”
“Most definitely,” he grinned at her, “You want to get out of here? We can take our food to-go.”
“Yeah…I’d love to.”
They called the waiter over, asked him to bag their order. Minutes later they were in his SUV driving down Commercial Street, headed for Mingus Park. They pulled over, to allow police cars and an ambulance to pass—they paid it no mind.
They pulled up alongside the Park, surprised to see so many people walking along the pond. They joined the rest, casually strolling, hand in hand, each content to be with the other. Donna put her arm around his waist, as he pulled her in.
“This is a perfect night,” she said laying her head against his shoulder.
“I haven’t been this happy in such a long time,” he said happily, as they walked through the Japanese gardens, enjoying the sheer beauty of the landscape.
“Do you want to sit,” he asked, as he motioned to a Japanese-styled, red-enameled bench.
“Sure,” she said, “It’s so enchanting here. I’ve always loved this place!”
“Me too! It’s probably my favorite spot in Coos Bay,” they sat down; Donna pressed her body against hi
s.
They continued talking, enjoying each other. Donna leaned to kiss him, as a couple ran by. “What was that all about?” Donna asked.
“I don’t know.”
Another came rushing by.
Donna called out, “Did something happen?”
The couple stopped and the man said, “It’s amazing!”
Richard had a sinking feeling in his stomach, he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear. He glanced at Donna. “What’s amazing?” Richard asked.
“It’s…it’s…I have to show you,” he pulled out his smart phone and in seconds a video played, “Even seeing it, you won’t believe it!”
They watched the video in shock. There was Olivia shooting through the air while holding Lisa. Richard was relieved, his daughter’s face was never turned toward the camera. Thank God for small miracles, he thought.
“That’s amazing,” Richard said, feigning excitement.
“My brother called and told us about it; he was there,” the man said, “It’s something out of a comic book! Not everything that happened made it on the video.”
“What else is there?” Donna asked.
“Well…this girl was almost hit by a truck and then this big blonde girl came out of nowhere—picked it up and threw it. They’re calling her ‘The Angel’!”
“That is unbelievable,” Donna said, “Honey, I think we need to be going!”
“Yes, you’re right.” They thanked the man for his time.
“What are we going to do?” She asked nervously.
“I don’t know…I can’t believe they left the house. I don’t think she completely understands the ramifications of her actions.”
He was worried about his little girl, who wasn’t so little anymore. Every time she revealed her gifts, she was putting her life at risk, and possibly her family’s.
“I think we’re going to have a long talk with two teenagers,” Richard said.
* * *
“Waaahooo!” Derek screamed at the top of his lungs as they raced through the chilly night. He was so jazzed, he couldn’t feel the cold air slamming against him, causing his eyes to water and stream to the sides of his face.
Olivia’s adrenaline surged through her body and her mind was moving faster than her legs. She reflected on the past twenty-four hours, in regards to Sheila, Mark and Lisa, and how fate made it possible to save their lives. It filled her with so much joy than she’d ever felt; more joy than she ever thought was possible. She wanted to do exactly what Derek had just done, scream at the top of her lungs. Why not, she thought.
“Waaaaahooooo!!” She laughed uncontrollably.
“You should have seen the expression on all their faces,” he said. He was surprised his ribs weren’t hurting him. It must be all the excitement, he thought.
“I saw yours! I didn’t know your mouth could open that wide.”
“What do you expect…it was right out of one of my dreams, but this was much better—it was live.”
They were running up the driveway within seconds.
* * *
Richard drove away from the park with Olivia on his mind. The more he thought about her adventure, the more scared he became. Images of government agencies with names no one had ever heard, coming into his house and taking Olivia by whatever force was necessary, flying her to some unknown super-classified base in the middle of nowhere, to never be heard from again.
His fear transformed into anger.
“Richard, I know it’s probably not my place to say, but when you talk to her, try not to lose control. She’s dealing with a lot.”
“I know she’s dealing with a lot; we’re all dealing with a tremendous amount, right now, but she’s being reckless, careless and selfish, which can bring a lot suffering into our lives. I won’t act nonchalant about the whole incident. If, I can’t get through to her now, our future looks pretty bleak, and I’m not ready to lose my daughter—not even close!”
She felt it best to remain silent, saying more could aggravate the situation. They rode the rest of the way not speaking.
* * *
Olivia and Derek changed clothes, stuck eight Hot Pockets in the microwave, and turned on the television. She flipped through the channels looking for something good to watch, as Derek waited for the food. She heard the SUV approaching before it turned down their driveway.
“They’re home!” Olivia shouted.
“What? It’s way too early,” he said, handing her a plate of Hot Pockets.
“Maybe their date didn’t go well,” she said with a grimace. “We’ll find out.” She continued to scan the channels, as she heard the door open, then slam. Uh-oh, someone’s pissed, she thought.
Richard tramped into the room with Donna following close behind. Olivia had never seen her Father so irate.
“How was the date?” Derek asked apprehensively. The way Richard was eyeing them, he knew something was up.
“I don’t know…let me run it past the two of you, then you can tell me what you think,” he said intensely. “Your Mother and I were having a really nice time, then someone shows us a video of Olivia saving Lisa at our local Dairy Queen. Thank God you can’t see her face. Now, how do you think our date went?” He asked sardonically.
Olivia knew her Dad was royally pissed, he was waving his arms in the air, as though he were swatting flies, which he only did when he was angry. Wow! I can’t believe how fast news travels in this little town, she thought.
Olivia and Derek stared at each other with wide eyes. “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” Richard bellowed. They raised their eyes to meet his. “What were you two thinking? We specifically talked about you not exposing your abilities and the second we leave you alone, what do you do? You do the exact opposite. Did you not comprehend the seriousness of our discussion? Was I not explicitly clear?”
“But Dad—“
“Do I need to go over it again and again until you two can fathom the severity of the situation?”
“But Dad, Lisa would be dead!” She said, her voice slightly elevated.
“I don’t care about Lisa; I care about you!” He yelled. Once he said the words, he wished he could take them back. It was a lie, because he did care if Lisa died; He cared about all human life.
Richard had never raised his voice to her for any reason. If there was an issue he had with her, they always talked it out. She discovered she didn’t like his yelling at her very much, and she wouldn’t endure it any further.
“Can I say something?” She asked firmly, but respectfully, though inside she was yelling.
“No, you may not! I’m not finished,” He said sharply.
She wouldn’t take it anymore. “I have something to say!” She shouted, striking the wooden coffee table, driving her fist clear through. Richard stared at her, while Donna and Derek were shocked. “I have a right to defend myself.”
Richard was stunned. She’d never talked back or even argued with him, now she was standing up for herself. He was curious to hear what she had to say. He decided to acquiesce.
He sat down; she stood up.
“Go ahead, I’m listening,” he said folding his arms in judgement.
She looked at the coffee table, “Before I start, I want to apologize for the table.” It was a half-hearted expression of regret at best. “Dad, I get what we did was wrong. I also get that you are just trying to protect me. I know you would do anything for me and I feel the same about each of you guys,” she said as her eyes passed over them. “Dad…you could do the most heinous thing and I’d stand by you, because that’s what family does or at least, that’s what they’re suppose to do. I would give my life for anyone in this room. So you see—I get it.” She looked into her father’s eyes as she explained: I’m thirteen years old, I’ve never had a first kiss, first dance or first date. I don’t know what it’s like to love someone romantically. I’ve never driven a car; or had a drink of alcohol. There is so much I haven’t experienced, but just because I haven’t
done a lot, doesn’t make me naïve or ignorant of life. Yes, I’m thirteen, but I have a free-thinking mind and whether I’m thirteen or thirty, the decisions in my life are mine and whatever the outcome, good or bad, I will take full and complete responsibility for my choices.”
She saw her father’s face relax, the tension melting away. She was on her soapbox and wasn’t about to relinquish it. It was a filibuster and she would continue till she got it all out.
“Dad, I admire you so much for the person you are. I am who I am because of the way you raised me and because the desire to help is innate. You became a doctor to save lives. You became a geneticist to save lives on a larger scale. What you are asking me to do is deny who I am—who we are, and turn my back on someone in need. God has given me a gift, though it came through you. I now have the ability to save lives—ME! If that means I have to expose my powers to do it, then I will. If I save one life, isn’t it worth it? Is my life more valuable than anyone else’s? Even if the government does take me away, knowing that I saved someone’s life would mean everything! I ask you this…whether the government makes me a prisoner or I stay locked-up in my house in fear of the government, won’t I still be a prisoner?
“Three days ago, thanks to God and Chromosome ‘S’, I’m still here. I can do the most amazing things, but how long will it last? A week…a year…ten years? I could be normal tomorrow or go insane next week. However long this lasts, I need to do what I can, when I can. I don’t intend to flaunt my gifts in anyway, but as I said, I will not walk away from someone in need, regardless who it is, to do that is the greatest sin a man can commit—you taught me that!”
She glanced once more, over each person’s face stopping at her Father’s. She saw love and understanding in his eyes, she had broken through the wall!
“Dad, I love you so much and I’m sorry if I seemed disrespectful in any way, I didn’t mean to be,” tears welled, “And I would never want to do anything to disappoint you.”